Back in the 1600s serving tea in “china” cups was considered quite fashionable and the phrase “Made in China” was not a derogatory term. China was known worldwide for its fine porcelain products that over the centuries other countries including Korea, Japan, and ultimately, England copied. Not so anymore.

Of course, individual Chinese craftspeople create exquisite items, but most of us have contact only with the cheapest items that make their way across the Pacific and into stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and even the finer department stores and specialty stores.

This stuff is junk. And it is getting worse. Whenever my husband and I attempt to replace a household item, say a plastic bucket or the latches that snap open and closed when we use the screen door, we are severely disappointed. The replacement product is lighter, smaller, and less functional than the one we purchased five or ten years ago.

Let’s be clear: the item is not better. If they could make it smaller and lighter as an improvement, that would be fine. But the newer products break faster and are of inferior quality. Often they are the same price, which means they are actually more expensive because it costs the company less, but they are charging the same amount as previously. You are familiar, no doubt, with the “new and improved” candy bars: same price, smaller size.

I shouldn’t really pick exclusively on China. I had a wonderful Krups coffee grinder for more than 15 years, whose motor did its final spin recently. It was made in France, and because it had been such a reliable and long-lived appliance, I bought another, exactly like. Well, not exactly. The new one is noisier, lighter, has a shorter cord, and an annoying “improvement”: if you look at it sideways, it starts grinding. But that aside, the product is clearly inferior. I was sure it was made in China; not so, turned out to be Mexico. (I wrote to Krups. The reply was uninspiring, basically they don’t care.)

I need to be clear: I do not fault with the Chinese or Mexican workers, who are grossly underpaid for their long hours and deplorable living conditions.

The fault is with the greedy multinational corporations whose goal is to manufacture and sell the cheapest products while reaping the largest profits possible. This is the capitalist dream, and what has made Wal-Mart a star-spangled success—well that and their stingy wages and benefits.

Next time you see “Made in China” on a label, consider the CEOs, CFOs, directors, and stockholders as the culprits behind the poorly made products. They are the ones who demand the lower manufacturing prices, and as in the case of my Krups experience, possibly sacrificing their own well-established brand names in exchange for increased profits.

And next time you are angry about some cheap product made by people who earn as much in a year as you spend in an hour, consider yourself, the consumer as culpable in this situation. We are the ones who fuel the corporations. We put up with cheap and poorly made, even demand it sometimes.

Face it: we want as much stuff as we can get at the cheapest cost. We are the ones who have supported Wal-Mart and other discount retailers. We are the ones addicted to cheap goods.

And now unfortunately we have set up an entire economy based on our addiction. Last time it was opium. This time it is plastic trinkets and cheap electronics. What will China do if they lose their best customers? We owe it to the Chinese people to continue to buy cheap, and buy often.